April 2018 Briefing - Pain Management

Here are what the editors at HealthDay consider to be the most important developments in Pain Management for April 2018. This roundup includes the latest research news from journal articles, as well as the FDA approvals and regulatory changes that are the most likely to affect clinical practice.

New Clinic Satisfaction Tool Provides Real-Time Feedback

THURSDAY, April 26, 2018 (HealthDay News) -- A new clinic satisfaction tool improves communication and provides real-time feedback, according to a study published online April 14 in Neurosurgery.

FRIDAY, April 27, 2018 (HealthDay News) -- A bedside visual art intervention may help with cancer patients' pain, anxiety, and mood, according to a study published online April 17 in the European Journal of Cancer Care.

THURSDAY, April 26, 2017 (HealthDay News) -- The U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration and local agencies are holding the 15th National Prescription Drug Take Back Day across the country this Saturday, April 28.

WEDNESDAY, April 25, 2018 (HealthDay News) -- Patients with opioid use disorder (OUD) seem to have a high rate of suicide, according to a perspective piece published in the April 26 issue of the New England Journal of Medicine.

WEDNESDAY, April 25, 2018 (HealthDay News) -- U.S. hospitals will have to post their standard prices online and make it easier for patients to access their electronic medical records, Medicare officials said Tuesday.

MONDAY, April 23, 2018 (HealthDay News) -- Patients prefer physicians who engage in face-to-face (F2F) clinic visits, rather than those using an examination room computer (ERC), according to a research letter published online April 19 in JAMA Oncology.

MONDAY, April 23, 2018 (HealthDay News) -- For patients undergoing head and neck cancer (HNC) surgery, perioperative use of celecoxib is associated with reduced use of opioids after surgery, according to a study published online April 18 in JAMA Otolaryngology-Head & Neck Surgery.

THURSDAY, April 19, 2018 (HealthDay News) -- New opioid prescriptions for U.S. adults using benzodiazepines stopped increasing in 2010, although the likelihood of receiving a prescription is still elevated versus the general population, according to a study published online April 12 in JAMA Psychiatry.

WEDNESDAY, April 18, 2018 (HealthDay News) -- Heavy use of opiates among patients with inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD) is tied to increased risk of premature all-cause death, according to a study published in the April issue of Clinical Gastroenterology and Hepatology.

WEDNESDAY, April 18, 2018 (HealthDay News) -- Cancer survivors are more likely to be prescribed five or more unique medications, including drugs with abuse potential, according to a study published online April 12 in Cancer.

TUESDAY, April 17, 2018 (HealthDay News) -- For individuals with chronic spinal pain, pain neuroscience education combined with cognition-targeted motor control training seems more effective than current best-evidence physical therapy, according to a study published online April 16 in JAMA Neurology.

TUESDAY, April 17, 2018 (HealthDay News) -- Messages relating to safe storage and disposal of prescription opioids are inconsistent and are often not included on package insert information, according to a research letter published online April 17 in the Annals of Internal Medicine.

MONDAY, April 16, 2018 (HealthDay News) -- In a position paper published online April 17 in the Annals of Internal Medicine, recommendations are provided aimed at addressing gender equity in physician compensation and career advancement opportunities.

MONDAY, April 16, 2018 (HealthDay News) -- The estimated annual cost of drug-related morbidity and mortality resulting from nonoptimized medication therapy is more than half a trillion dollars in the United States, according to a study published online March 26 in the Annals of Pharmacotherapy.

FRIDAY, April 13, 2018 (HealthDay News) -- Elder abuse and neglect (EAN) is not tied to the risk of chronic pain, according to a study published online March 30 in the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society.

THURSDAY, April 12, 2018 (HealthDay News) -- The burden of prior authorization (PA) has increased over the past five years, and 92 percent of physicians report associated delays in access to care, according to the results of a survey published by the American Medical Association (AMA).

TUESDAY, April 10, 2018 (HealthDay News) -- There are considerable differences in the burden of disease at the state level, according to a study published in the April 10 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association.

TUESDAY, April 10, 2018 (HealthDay News) -- Changes can be implemented to help reduce physician frustration with electronic health records (EHRs), according to an article published in Medical Economics.

TUESDAY, April 10, 2018 (HealthDay News) -- In adults age 50 or older, higher education, illicit drug use, depression, and pain interference with normal work are significantly associated with opioid misuse, according to a study published recently in Nursing Outlook.

FRIDAY, April 6, 2018 (HealthDay News) -- New interns' intense and changing schedules take a toll on sleep, activity, and mood, according to a study published online March 14 in the Journal of General Internal Medicine.

THURSDAY, April 5, 2018 (HealthDay News) -- The Affordable Care Act's Marketplaces covered a disproportionate share of non-elderly adults with high health care risks in the 2014 to 2015 time period, according to a study published in the April issue of Health Affairs.

THURSDAY, April 5, 2018 (HealthDay News) -- Online physician reviews do not reflect patient satisfaction surveys (PSSs), according to a study published in the April issue of the Mayo Clinic Proceedings.

WEDNESDAY, April 4, 2018 (HealthDay News) -- There is considerable variation in the quality of free-text patient directions (Sig) in electronic prescriptions (e-prescriptions), according to a study published online April 2 in the Journal of Managed Care & Specialty Pharmacy.

WEDNESDAY, April 4, 2018 (HealthDay News) -- State implementation of medical marijuana laws is associated with a reduction in the rate of opioid prescribing, according to a study published online April 2 in JAMA Internal Medicine.

TUESDAY, April 3, 2018 (HealthDay News) -- Older adults believe marijuana to be effective for pain relief, and many support its use, according to the results of a National Poll on Healthy Aging, conducted for the University of Michigan.

MONDAY, April 2, 2018 (HealthDay News) -- Preoperative chronic opioid use is associated with poor outcomes and continued dependence after posterior lumbar fusion, according to a study published online March 20 in Spine.